A bit of a long story with the final chapter happening a year later but Zean Century Stone customer service leaves much to be desired. I would NOT recommend this company to anyone.
Last year I renovated a 2 bedroom condo including gutting a galley style kitchen and replacing with new everything. Because the space was small it had to be precise. I had my drawing but Zean came out to remeasure. The fridge was standard size on one end of the kitchen, the cabinets went into an l-shaped pattern. At the other end was the stove and a half-wall made of concrete with a doorway. On the stove side the half wall was about 2 feet wide and it was to get a granite topper to act as a ledge. On the other side of the doorway it was to be something like a breakfast bar. Even though I had a 24 inch stove at the time, when I planned the kitchen I left space for a 30" inch standard range for future replacement.
Firstly, when the counter was installed, the installers came unprepared. The condo had been cleaned for the most part (the counter was pretty much the last thing to happen). They were left unsupervised for awhile but when I returned I found that the air was cloudy and there was granite dust everywhere because they hadn't blocked off the area or brought a shop vac! Unbelieveable! I even got granite dust in my eye which caused blurriness for a whole day... it was pretty scary. I had to go to the eye doctor about it. I called Brian to complain and he came out with the master installer the same day I believe. They agreed that this was inappropriate. Also, they had cut the granite too close on the fridge side and had to sand and repolish the corner of the granite so the fridge door could be opened without scraping against the granite.
The rest of the job was completed properly, or so I thought until last week when I bought a new 30" stove. Funnily enough I was concerned about getting it into the kitchen because the doorway is only 29" wide so I made sure that it could be slid into the kitchen sideways and backed into the space. However, once in the kitchen It didn't fit in the space because the counter did not end flush with the end of the cabinet or on the end of the concrete wall. The counter protruded .5 inch on either side making it impossible for the stove to fit.
At first I thought that it was just the on the half wall side and thought that if the topper were pried off the stove could be put into place and then it could be resecured. I asked a handyman friend if he could come and do that for me. He had a hard time to pry it off, understandbly and unfortunately a corner of it cracked and broke. Even after the topper was off the stove still did not fit becaue there was the same problem on the other side...
In a panic, I took some pictures and called Brian, the person I dealt with last year. I tried to explain the situation and e-mailed the photos to him from my phone. I knew that this was their fault for not measuring properly but I also took some responsibility for not checking at the time the counter was installed. But I had never had a granite countertop installed before and thought the professionals knew what they were doing. It never occurred to me afterward because for a year I used a 24" stove so there was plenty of room.
A week ago Wednesday Brian said he would speak with the master installer and get back to me with a price to repair the problem... ie: the counter has to be shaved down 1/2 inch so as to be flush with the end of the cabinet and repolished. On the half wall side the topper has to be shaved down 1/2 inch on the side of the stove, the corner crack has to be repaired and the topper reattached. But I didn't say anything because I was desperate. I called the next day and he said he hadn't spoken with the master yet. I have called again and again. On Saturday I called and spoken with another man. I had asked to speak with the owner of the company and was told he wasn't there. I explained the situation to this person who promised me he would speak with Brian and call me back. Yesterday I left a desperate message that I am willing to pay for the repair just to get it done.
If this is customer service then I don't know what to think. I have called other granite companies and no one wants to come fix mistakes made by someone else. In the meantime I don't know what to do. The stove is sideways in the space. I can't return it. I can't find someone else to repair the problem so will probably have to lose the money for the stove and purchase another 24" stove (the original one was given away). This still leaves me with the problem of the broken and unattached topper for the half wall.
I have a pit in my stomach about this and cannot believe that they will do nothing to help me. Even if it were completely my fault. In a couple of hours they could correct the problem for me and do a lot for good will. Instead, they won't even return my calls.
I have photos if anyone is interested. This is a nightmare. Stay away from Zean Century Stone unless you are prepared to monitor everything they do, measure and remeasure everything making sure everything is in place before you pay the balance of the bill.
I am a Realtor and cannot believe that for such a small thing that they could fix so easily they would leave a customer hanging. I am always asked for referrals of different contractors and services but would NEVER inflict this company on anyone.
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